President suggested to consult with house on BI governor

Two candidates for the Indonesian central bank (BI) gubernatorial post had been rejected after the House of Representatives conducted a fit and proper test on them, and the House has asked for more names, which the government has yet to meet.

Practically, efforts at seeking more candidates for the Bank Indonesia gubernatorial post seem to become stagnant.

It is for this reason that many elements especially those in the legislative urged President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono to have a consultation with the House before submitting candidates for gubernatorial post of Bank Indonesia after the rejection of the two previous names by the House`s Commission XI.

"I just suggest such wayout will only end in obstacles. A consultation between the House and the president on the basis of standard regulations should be done," Rizal Jalil, member of the House`s Commission XI, said here on Thursday.

Rizal who is also member of the National Mandate Party (PAN) House faction opined that a consultation between the House and the president is expected to help settle the uncertainty in the election of a BI governor.

"The cost will be high if such uncertainty remained unsolved, while not later than May 17 the name of a new BI governor will have to be announced," he said.

The failure in approving candicates for the BI governorship through voting in the House`s Commission XI on Wednesday evening was a bitter lesson for supporters of the names submitted by the President.

"However, this is not the fault of President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono, but of those in the Presidential circles," Rizal said.

In the meantime, Vera Febyanti of the Democrats Party Faction at the House`s Commission XI said the failure of the party to fight for the candidates tendered by the president was a political lesson.

"In the future, we will ask for more data on the names of candidates from the president," she said.

According to her, the majority of members of the House`s Commission XI expected the head of state to tender more names from with Bank Indonesia who have a better understanding on BI`s problems and responsibilities.

Politically, the two names submitted by the head of state are only supported by the Democrats Party`s members in the House.

Responding to the stalemate in the BI gubernatorial selection test, Director of the Strategic Planning and Public Relations Directorate of BI Arif Amril said BI will only wait for the ongoing process in the House in line with the prevailing regulation.

"The House has the right to accept or reject the candidates forwarded by the president. BI trusted all matters to ...